


Dumb Lesbians Be Gay

by Dragon_boi



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Childhood Friends, Coffee Shops, College AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/F/F, Fighting over a crush, Jealousy, Oblivious Adora (She-Ra), Polyamorous releationships, roommate au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 16:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17511830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_boi/pseuds/Dragon_boi
Summary: Adora was the perfect roommate in almost every possible way.If only she'd stop inviting her annoying childhood friend over.





	Dumb Lesbians Be Gay

_Things wouldn't be so bad if Bow hadn't moved away._

That's what Glimmer thought as she watched her mirror reflection run a comb through her hair. She was trying hard to focus only on her pink strands, brushing them over and over again, but temptation made her eyes dart to the right corner of the mirror, where she could see the reflection of Catra and Adora. They were sat next to each other on bean bags chairs--the ones that Glimmer had bought for the dorm room-- talking about something that made Adora throw her head back in laughter.

The comb snagged on a knot, grabbing her attention away from the two girls. She yanked it out hard.

Glimmer couldn't be upset over this, not when she had told Adora, when they moved-in, that friends were allowed over anytime. She had thought it wouldn't be a big deal, that it would make her seem like a cool and laid-back roommate, but she hadn't known that a certain childhood friend would loiter around their dorm all the time.

And, Glimmer wouldn't have minded, if Catra wasn't so annoying. The girl had a knack for stealing their food, leaving a mess everywhere she went, and an even better habit of keeping Glimmer out of every conversation she had with Adora.

It was a shame. Especially since the whole roommate thing was going so well. Adora was not only great to live with, but also a great friend. She helped Glimmer study and was even teaching her how to skateboard now, all while keeping her messes to a minimum and not keeping her leftovers in the fridge for too long.

And, she was gay, too. Which really solidified the fact that she was the perfect roommate in almost every possible way. Except for the tiny, little detail.

“Remember when I bit Mr. Bluu” Catra barked out, snapping Glimmer out of her thoughts.

“Oh my God I do!”

Glimmer really wanted to join in on the fun but, she had no idea what they were talking about. This happened every single time Catra was over. If she tried to talk to them the girl would quickly change the subject to some shared childhood memory or an inside joke. At this point, Glimmer gave up, not even bothering to try to talk to Adora when Catra was over.

She hated being the third wheel.

Glimmer placed the comb on the sink and moved away from the mirror to sit on her bed. She opened her laptop, deciding to do the thing she always does when she’s upset. Messaging Bow.

 **Glimmer:** Ugh Catra is STILL over :\

 **Bow:** If she makes you so upset why don’t you just kick her out?

 **Glimmer:** You know why :( This is Adora’s room too :((

 **Bow:** Then you should tell Adora that she can’t have Catra over anymore.

 **Glimmer:** You know why I can’t do that!!!!!!!

 **Bow:** Communication is the best way for you two to have a healthy and happy roommate-ship.

 **Glimmer:** You’re not helping >:(

 **Bow:** Fine, why don’t you make up some excuse to get her to leave?

 **Bow:** But that is only a temporary solution to a much bigger and permanent problem.

She closed the laptop and plopped down onto her pillow, rolling her head over to look  at Adora and Catra who were still giggling to themselves. Why did Bow have to go to a school half way across the country? If he was here, then it could be the two of them hanging out right now, reminiscing about their own past and telling jokes that only they'd get.

Watching them made her heart ache, for a number of reasons. She didn't want to feel so isolated, so unwanted. Maybe his idea wasn’t so bad after all.

Leaping out of bed, she approached the two with the friendliest smile she could muster. Catra noticed her first, her mouth forming a tight line as Glimmer got closer.

“Hey guys,” she said. “I’m glad you two are having fun but I really need to get some homework done and, if you don’t mind, could you move this little party elsewhere?”

Adora perked up and whipped her head around to look at the clock on the wall. “Oh my gosh,” she jumped up and reached for her backpack. “I didn’t realize it was this late. I haven’t even started studying for my Sports Medicine test.”

Catra slouched down in her bean bag chair with an exasperated sigh. “Come on, you can do that later. I haven’t seen you in, like, forever.”

One week to be exact. Which must be forever when you have nothing better to do but bug your best friend.

“No, I got to do this now,” Adora pressed. “I promise we can hang out later.”

“Ugh, that’s what you said last time and then you kept blowing me off.”

“I’m sorry, but these classes keep me so busy. There’s just so much to do and so much to keep track of.”

“You’re explaining this to me as if I’ve never been a student before.”

“Sorry, I’m not trying to say you don’t know what it’s” Adora said with a gentle tone. It made Glimmer angry, Catra was clearly in the wrong, yet it was Adora who always seemed like the one who always soothed things over. It wasn’t fair.

“I’m just under a lot of stress” she finished.

“I was just pulling your leg, Adora. It’s fine, I'll get out of your hair. I know when I'm not wanted.” She shoved her hands into her pockets and strolled over to the door.

“Goodbye” Adora called to her. “I'll hang with you again soon”

Catra sticks out her tongue. “You better” she says before turning to leave for good.

The room was oddly quiet in her absence, a silence that Glimmer was a little too happy for. Her roommate pulls a notebook out of her bag and sits down at her desk. Glimmer waited for her to say something to her. Anything. They had barely exchanged two words between themselves all day, certainly there had to be something Adora wanted to talk about with her. But, the girl said nothing, focusing instead on the notebook in front of her.

“Hey, Adora?”

“Hm?”

“After you're done studying, do you want to play some video games with me?”

Adora smiled. The first of today that was meant for her, not Catra. “Sure.”

Except, she didn't finish studying until it's fully late into the night and both of them were too tired to do anything except go to bed.

\----

Catra was already having a bad day when Glimmer and Adora came into the cafe. It had been a couple of days since she was at their dorm. They spotted her at the counter; the stupid looking one frowned, but her best friend’s whole face light up. Catra’s belly tightened uncomfortably.

“Hey, Catra, I thought you didn't work today.” Adora greeted.

She shrugged. “I got called in. Why you guys here anyway?”

“Oh,” Glimmer piped up “We just came for coffee, and to get some studying done away from all the distractions.” She made a big point of showing off both of the overstuffed backpacks slung around their shoulders, as if Catra was too stupid to understand without the visual effects.

She responded with a grunt. They gave their orders and she made them as quickly as possible, shoving the drinks across the counter.

“Thanks,” they chirped simultaneously.

Catra didn't respond and, as they walk away, she heard Adora whisper “It's okay, she's always cranky at work.”

Which only served to make her crankier. She grabbed a random dish and walked back into the kitchen.

There was a lot of reasons why working at the closet coffee shop to campus sucked --the huge rushes, the stupid co-workers, and the even dumber customers-- but the fact that it was Glimmer favorite place absolutely topped her list.

Catra came back out front with a dirty rag scrunched up in her fist. Adora and Glimmer had chosen a table nearby, mountains of papers and books spread out before them. Adora was biting her lower lip, staring at some textbook, her eyebrows knitted in concentration. It was also funny to Catra to see her like that, playing the role she was always meant to play: the huge nerd.

She wanted so badly to sneak over to them and jump out from behind Adora. She used to do it all the time when they were in high school. It would never scare her, but she’d tackle Catra to the ground and they’d wrestle on the dirty floor. It was always so much fun.

But, Catra stays where she is, because she knew that it wouldn’t be like high school. If she tried to scare her, Adora would just tell her off, saying she’s too busy for games and Glimmer would roll her eyes. Treating her like a nuisance, just because she wasn’t in college herself.

It sucked. Especially since the shop was too slow in the late afternoons for her to do anything else but stand behind the counter and just wait for some sad sack to walk through the door. Her best friend was right in front of her and she wasn’t allowed to even talk to her. It really, really sucked.

She tried busying herself with cleaning. Even getting into the little nooks and crannies that no one else really bothered to wipe down. They had months, probably even years, of filth build-up, but she didn’t mind the grossness. If anything, it was fun trying to guess what caused certain stains.

She did that for about an hour, when Glimmer suddenly groaned and slammed down her notes. “We’ve been at this forever. Let’s take a break.” she said.

Adora didn’t break eye-contact with her textbook. “Come on, we’ve barely even started.”

“That’s not true,” she replied. “And, even before this, you’ve been studying for your Sports Medicine test for days now. You really need to relax for a little while.”

Adora shook her head. “I can’t afford to goof off right now. This is my major. I have to do well in this class and to do that I need a good grade on this test. I have to make sure I have everything memorized and the test is tomorrow and I just can’t not study.”

“Listen to yourself, you’re obviously too stressed.”

Adora completely ignored her, going back to whatever she was reading. Catra snickered.

Glimmer reached over the table and placed her hand on her arm. “Listen,” her voice was gentle, “You’re smart. Really, really smart and you’ve studied very hard for this test. You are going to do great. I promise you will. Overexerting yourself is only going to hurt yourself in the long run. Now, let’s go back to the dorms and watch a movie, okay?”

Her best friend finally looked up from her book and Glimmer smiled wide, sparkling her puppy-dog eyes. Adora sighed, “Fine. I guess I could use a break.”

Glimmer cheered and leap out of her seat, all too eager to leave. She yanked on Adora’s sleeve, basically dragging her out of the cafe.  “See you later, Catra” Adora called as the doorbell chimed. And then Catra was all alone in an empty shop.

She chucked the dirty rag aside and started brewing some tea for herself, hoping it would lessen the frustration clawing at her belly. She just knew, just _knew_ , that if she had been the one to suggest going to the movies, Adora would have never left.

\----

“Hey Adora” Catra's singsong voice called from behind.

English class had just gotten out and most of the students were still shuffling their belongings into their bags. Glimmer had been scrolling through her phone, waiting for her roommate to finish up so they could walk back to the dorms together, like they always did after their one shared class.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Adora asked and the both of them turned in their seats, watching as Catra strode in like she owned the place.

“Just came to bother you after class,” she said and then hopped onto the desk. “So, now that your boring lecture is over you must be starving, right? Let’s go to Burger Palace!”

Burger Palace was Adora’s and Catra’s favorite hangout spot growing up. According to her roommate, the duo used to play in their inside playhouse until some employee realized they didn’t have any adult supervision and would kick them out. It took years before they started making money and bought actual meals like normal customers. Adora had taken Glimmer there a couple times this year, just to show off the place.

Catra pulled out a keychain and twirled it around her finger. “I’ll drive,” she added.

Adora licked her lips. “Yes, please, I’ve been craving Burger Palace for awhile now.” She turned to her. “Want to come, Glimmer?”

The twirling stopped and her eye twitched. Glimmer couldn’t help but to grin, “Sure, I’d love to!”

Adora pumped her fist into the air. “Burger Palace! Burger Palace!”

“Yeah, great, Burger Palace, woo-hoo” Catra said in a dismissive tone. She left the classroom, grumbling something under her breath.

They followed behind her. Adora leaned down and whispered, “Weird, she was the one who wanted to go. Why she acting all grumpy, now?”

Glimmer shrugged.

Crawling into the backseat of Catra’s car was difficult with empty water bottles lining the floor. She somehow managed and plopped down next a pile of miscellaneous clothing, probably all dirty. Adora, the lucky duck, got to sit up front. It had seemed odd when she called shotgun the second they had left the classroom, but now it all made sense.

Catra’s driving was about as disastrous as her car. She sped out of the parking lot without a care in the world. The music on her radio was so loud it made the seats vibrate.

“Hey, how’d you do on you test?” Glimmer shouted over the loud clashing of drums.

“It was fine,” she shouted back. “But I won’t know how I did until next week.”

“Well, you knew all the answers, right?” Catra asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Then, stop worrying about it.” She took a hand off the steering wheel to punch Adora on the arm, they nearly veered into the sidewalk. Glimmer could almost hear Bow screaming about driving safety.

Adora didn’t care, she just smiled and started hollering like she was on a rollercoaster. Then, some trashy heavy metal song came on. “I love this song!” Catra cried out and jammed out to it for the rest of the trip.

When they arrived at Burger Palace, it was packed.

“Let’s snag a table first” she suggested, the other two nodded.

They trudged through the crowd of screaming children and annoyed parents until they found a table at the very back of the restaurant. She and Catra plopped down on the plastic chairs, relieved that the fight was over.  

“Alright, I’ll go get our food, you two wait here,” Adora said.

Glimmer shot straight up. “Wait, I’ll come with you.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ve got both of your orders memorized, anyway. I'll go get it myself.”

“Ador-”

It was too late, she had already sped off.

Glimmer slowly sat back down and rested her cheek in her hand. Catra drummed her fingers on the table, looking bored, until her cat-like eyes found a container of plastic straws sitting on the table. She grabbed one and tore off the end of the wrapping with her teeth and blew into the straw. The rest of the wrapping sailed across the table and smacked her in the face.

Catra immediately erupted into snorting laughter. “That’s not very funny” Glimmer spat, which only made her laugh even harder.

Irritation burned under her skin. “By the way, I know you like Adora.”

The laughing stopped. Catra blinked then shifted her gaze away. Glimmer followed her eyes and saw Adora waiting in line.

“Well…” Catra began slowly, “You're one to talk. You're obviously head over heels for her.”

Glimmer couldn't deny that. Adora turned back to their table and waved. Glimmer waved back while Catra bent the plastic straw in-between her fingers.

“I don't even get why she hangs out with you” the messy haired girl continued. “Do you know how hard she worked to get into your stupid school? While all you did was ask your mommy to get you in.”

Glimmer couldn’t deny that either. Adora had gotten a full-ride scholarship because of her perfect grades and her many outstanding achievements. She had gotten in because her mom was the principal.

“I don’t get why Adora hangs out with you either,” she rebutted. “When she’s so sweet and kind and you’re so...you.”

Catra folded her arms, snorting. “Maybe because she likes people who are fun and aren’t whiny babies.”

“Yet, she’s friends with you.”

“Listen here you-”

“We’re number 45”

They both jumped and swung around to look at Adora. A heavy silence fell between them. Her dormmate looked at her, then to Catra, then back to her.

“What...were you guys talking about?”

“Nothing!” Glimmer grabbed the ticket from Adora’s hand. “45, huh? I think they called 40 a while ago. Not much longer now.”

Adora scanned her face with a questioning look and slipped into the chair next to her. “Okay?”

“Hey, Adora” Catra called from across the table. “Who do you like more, me or Glimmer?”

Glimmer’s heart stopped. That was the same question that had been plaguing her mind for weeks. She turned to Adora, hope flaring in her chest.

The girl let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. “Come on, you know I can’t choose. I love you both equally.”

Glimmer’s brain stopped working. Of course Adora would use the word ‘love’. So oblivious to the whole situation. It was so unfair.

Catra huffed, frustrated. “You’ve known me longer,” she whined.

Glimmer didn’t know how she got the sudden confidence, but she shot Catra a look and said “Don’t be jealous.”

“Yeah, don’t be jealous,” Adora agreed. “I have another best friend now, that’s something you’re just gonna have to accept. ”

Some Burger Palace employee called out their number. Adora got up and left the two of them behind. This time, neither of them argued with her or tried going along with her. Catra’s fist was clenched around a very abused plastic straw.

“Is this the game you want to play?” she hissed.

Glimmer hadn’t meant it as a challenge (she wasn’t the competitive type at all) but Catra’s words had her blood boiling.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

Adora returned and placed their meals on the table. Catra immediately divulged into a story about how she had tried to steal some kid's fries long ago, making Adora break out into laughing fits. She shot Glimmer a smirk, knowing that it keep her out of the conversation. But, this time, Glimmer didn’t shy away.

“Oh, hey, did I ever tell you about the time Bow and I found a stray kitten and we tried to keep it at my place without my mom knowing?”

“Oh my gosh no! What happened?”

She began telling them about the adventure. Adora seemed invested in her tale and even Catra smiled and nodded along. They kept talking and eating their greasy burgers and drinking their cups of pure sugar, all while laughing and laughing and laughing.

As if all of hell hadn’t just broken loose.


End file.
